Stephen Beer > Blog > Sept - Dec 2014 > Defence cuts...

Defence cuts...

Interesting point made by Sir Michael Graydon, former Chief of the Air Staff, on the Today Programme yesterday: the UK currently has seven combat squadrons; at the time of the first Gulf War in 1990, we had 37. Of the seven, "only five are capable of dropping bombs" and only the three Tornado squadrons are suitable for operations in Iraq because they carry the Brimstone weapon being used. And of course we were a poorer nation in 1990...

Somewhat sobering.

The interview on the Today programme is about 1 hour 22 minutes in, from here.

Stephen Beer, 30/09/2014

Fiscal targets explained...

What those deficit figures are about.

Labour deficit cutting - the £50bn question

Where the £50bn figure comes from.

Targets missed

The Coalition has missed its original fiscal targets significantly. Here is a look at the official forecasts from June 2010 and March 2014, ahead of the Autumn Statement this week.

The decline in real incomes continues

A depressing chart from the Office for National Statistics.

Is there any strategic defence thinking going on?

We were going to scrap more RAF planes...until the government realised it needed them.

GDP - a long way to catch up

Growing below trend.

UK productivity revised

Latest revisions but still a poor picture.